Book Review: Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

Goodreads Description: 

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love.

In this honest and emotional journey that National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr calls “gorgeous, funny, and joyous,” readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms.

Title: Kissing in America
Author: Margo Rabb
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Coming of age
Format: e-book, ARC

Pages: 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from NetGalley

I'll admit from the start that this was a cover pick cause COME ON when a big billboard with the word 'KISSING' is on the cover it screams romance and I'm in!

HOWEVER this book was not really a romance book but a coming of age story about love (and not just romantic love).

Eva's dad died in a plane crash two years prior to the book and since then she has finds comfort in reading romance novels which also means rebelling on her feminist mother. Eva then falls for a boy she tutors in school name Will who understands what she's trough so when Will unexpectedly moves across the country to California, Eva convince best friend Annie auditions for a quiz show called 'Smartest girl in America' which gives her the chance to see will again. Because Eva's scared of flying (due to obvious reasons), they decided to take a road trip where they encounter Eva's crazy Aunt Janet, Annie's cousin Grace, some actual swoon worthy cowboys and Eva's mum's best friend Lulu. There are a couple of side stories like Eva and her mum's relationship and Eva and her love for writing which she has abandon ever since her dad passes away as it was a connection she had with her dad.

I like Eva's narration but was not that a fan of her as a character. While I enjoy her inner monologues and funny remarks, I got annoyed with her character, one stupid decision after another. While I did empathise with her on some level like her mum being OVERLY over protective, was not a fan of her going across the country just to see the guy she likes. Even so those decisions, she does learn from her mistakes and this a great example that a main character does not have to be likable to be enjoyable.

One thing that stood out for me was the amazing and diverse cast of side characters. While I did like Annie and Aunt Janet, Lulu was my favorite of the bunch. Each character has a great sidestory and of them all I find Lulu's the more intriguing and meaningful.

While I did like the story I found the pacing slow and it took a while for me to click with the story. I also wish we got to see more of Eva and her mum's relationship as I feel like something is missing. Even so I really like the writing especially near the end where I went highlighting happy in my Kindle as there were a lot of really beautiful and meaningful. I also love the road trip element as THIS is how a road trip should be written, full of spontaneous moments.

Now the 'hint' of romance, though it ended bittersweet (and kinda makes me want to punch Will as he was a flipping jackass), it was realistic and ended a lot than I expected.

When I was in high school, we had a genre of poems to study called 'Relationship' and everyone thought Relationship = romance. We eventually found out that it does not necessary means romance and kinda got turn off cause of a long winded poem *cough* william butler yeats's 'a prayer for my daughter' and switch that genre to 'Conflict'.  Looking back, it made me now realise that every relationship is a love story in its own way.

This book is a love story but a love story between Eve and her mum as well as the ones she love.

Overall, while there were some stuff in the book I was not a fan off I still really did enjoy it! A great and meaningful coming off story about grieve and moving on, love between a daughter and her mother (or in this case mother figures) and of cause a great road trip adventure!

6.5/10

Check this book out of the library or read a sample of the book before you go out and purchase it.

Book Review: Girl Online (Girl Online #1) by Zoe Sugg and Siobhan Curham



Goodreads Description:

I had no idea GirlOnline would take off the way it has - I can't believe I now have 5432 followers, thanks so much! - and the thought of opening up to you all about this is terrifying, but here goes...

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.

Title: Girl Online (Girl Online #1)
Author: Zoe Sugg and Siobhan Curham
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Format: Hardback

Pages: 352 pages
Publisher: Atria / Keywords Press
Source: Purchased from Popular Bookstore

So before I get into the review, I'm sure most of you guys know who's Zoe Sugg aka Zoella. If not look it up :P

Also if any of you guys follow the bookish news you'll know that there is a bit of controversy around this book thanks to the wonders of ghost writer.

Anyways I'm not gonna go into too much details about the issue as that's another blog post for another day but basically I'm am not surprise that she has a ghost writer on the side since though she is a professional blogger, she's not a professional writer as well as the fact it fits the timeline on how fast it took for her to write the book so she does need help.

I've read a couple of 'celeb published' books in the past that has been written with the help of a ghost writer and though she is not the first to do so, she's not the last. I do however wish that they did the disclaimers at the start credited the ghost writer on the cover or say its co-written, that way it would 1) be fair to co author and 2) cause a bit less controversy.

Anyways, ghost writer or not I'm still pick up cause the premise is something up my ally. Also Zoella is one of my favourite youtuber and blogger (DUH!) so of cause I want to support her and her book. I've learned a lot from her blogs/vlogs as it has help me not only with fashion and beauty but also help me feel more comfortable with myself!

Okay for first off  I usually don't talk about book covers but I flipping love the cover especially with the fairy lights and pictures hung around! Its cute and suits the book but also screams ZOE!

The story follows 15-year-old Penny who has an anonymous blog under the name Girl Online where she shares her life like school drama, boy problems and her klutz incidents. When an embarrassing video of her goes up and viral, Penny's parents whisk her to New York on a business trip where she meets a mysterious guitarist named Noah who takes her on an adventure around New York but also helps Penny trough her anxiety issues.

~Characters~

There were a great cast of characters though my feelings for each of them is very torn as one moment I'm loving them then the next I'm annoyed or hating them and I'm back to loving them again. They all have their strengths and flaws which makes them realistic and relatable.

Our main character Penny was such a sweetheart to read about. Fun loving, clumsy and quirky, she is at that awkward teenage stage where she has a lot of issues like boy and friends problems. On top of that she has anxiety issues after a car accident that shaken her. There were times where she didn't have the confidents to stand up for herself whether if its to her friends or the internet but with the help and advice from her family and best friend she grows in confidents and manages her issues. Also she was a bit too innocent and naïve for her own good but she eventually grows and mature making some really good choices at the end. I connected with Penny from her personality to her love for blogging as (DUH! once again) I love blogging and putting my thoughts on the internet though for Penny its about life and for me is about BOOKS.

I love the family aspect of the books and its great reading about Penny's parents especially on how involve they were in her life on top of helping her trough her bulling problems at school.

Also her brother Tom, though I did wish we got to read more about him, its refreshing reading a book where we see a strong and realistic brother-sister relationship as that's something I rarely (for an odd reason) see in YA. I really like how he goes all PROTECTIVE BIG BROTHER on Penny and how he helped her over come most of her problems.

Elliot was one of those characters where I was very torn with as one moment I love the guy and the next I hated him then I figured out his problems and love him again. There were times he was a bit of a jerk to Penny but most of the times he is loyal and always there for Penny as well as to be her voice of reason. I like how his is a gay character but they didn't aggregate the stereotype. Also his smart walking wiki mind and sass made the book for me!!!


Noah aka mysterious New York guitarist was a hit and a miss for me. While I like his character and how he was all romantic and charming from the start, I found him very unrealistic and almost too perfect. Even when his secret is revealed I still was not that big of a fan of him.

I was a big fan of Noah's little sister Bella and am currently thinking of a way to adopt the adorable kid!

As for the side characters in Penny's school, I hated them the more I read about them especially Megan and Ollie! Will leave it to Elliot to put the mega self-absorbed Fishing Beaches in their place!

~Plot~ 

Okay so the plot is where I had some issues. The first third and the last third of the story were really good and well paced out but the middle was a drag and so messy!

The while I like the concept of the story was very predictable down to the plot twist. Also there were some parts where its not really realistic but ah well its a work of fiction.

One thing I love is how the book tackle the issues that Penny and her friends faces like being true to yourself, friendship, bullying, homosexuality, anxiety, facing fears and cyber bullying.

I also love the traveling aspect and how the book is set in the UK and in New York.

~Writing~

This is my least favourite part of the book! I was not a fan of the writing style. Its cute to say the word 'cute' the first five times but after a while it gets a bit VERY ANNOYING!

Words like 'AWESOME' and 'CUTE' were overused to the point I was planning an espresso drinking game where I take a shot for every 'awesome' or 'cute' words written. Yah I'll be a goner one third into the book... 

I L-O-V-E cute cheesy happy fluffy contemporary romance that makes me feel all good and mushy in the inside but this book just taught me there is a limit as though it was cute, it was too cute (in a not good way).

At times the way some characters talk came out odd or awkward especially guys... I'm pretty sure they don't talk like that in real life (in my opinion).

The writing was inconsistent, too simple and young-ish for me. Its more suitable for younger teens/ YA readers which is definitely not me as I'm now in the New Adult age range.

I'm okay with the exclamation marks and all that jazz, I cringe at the grammar mistake! Now I'm not a grammar snob and I'll usually shake it off but this book is published by a MAJOR publisher with the help of a professional writer who should have at least someone to revised trough the grammar!

Another thing I cringe over is there were too many descriptions. I wish they tone it down and let the reader's mind to imagine.

As for the blog, I enjoyed every bit of it! I like how every few chapters we get to read about Penny's blog entry. Its honest, personal and simple.

~Romance~

I was okay with the romance... didn't love it, didn't hate it.

It was insta-love and I am not a fan of insta-love. I did however L-O-V-E the captain obvious of them pointing out that this is an insta-love!

At the start they were actually adorable to the point that I found myself giggling at the couple. But after a while it just become too perfect and mushy passing my limit for the fluff.

I wanted to like the romance but it was too cliché not swoon worthy enough.

~Morals/Lesson~

The lesson of the story is so good, strong and inspiring!

In plot I covered how the book handles the issues faced really well. 

This book handled most of the issues really well especially on cyber bullying as if ANY of you guys love blogging (which I assume most of you are bloggers or blog lovers), you might have encountered one of two or A LOT of troll incident whether its a hate comment or someone attacking you online.

Penny goes through a phrase where she gets cyber bullied. Not many books tackle that issue and the way that this book did came out really well and realistic. 

The family aspect as mentioned is very strong and Penny learns that  at the end of the day, family will always be there for you. 

Also I like how Penny uses her blog like a diary to express herself and when she does it she’s fun, down to earth and honest.

The issues highlighted were realistic. This is great especially for the younger YA readers out there who are facing trough the beauty of teenage awkwardness but also inspiring to the bloggers and aspiring bloggers out there.

~Ending~

Though it was predictable, I adored the ending! I also love how Penny becomes comfortable with herself and who she is, tackled her issues, face their fear and demons.

Its definitely one of those whimsical fairy tale ending but it fits the book really well.

And yes I was smiling like an idiot at the ending.


Overall I had a bit of mix feelings about this book. I feel like it could have been better but I still adored it (when it was not too mushy).

Its a great book for readers who (like a lot of us) look up at Zoella for inspiration and on tackling realistic issues like fear and anxiety.

Happy go Lucky, light and fluffy reads.

If you are a fan of Zoella you will like this book as it screams her!

Also apparently there is a sequel to Girl Online coming out later this year. Not exactly sure when as we don't have a released date, title or cover but its on Goodreads so check it out.

I get personal here so skip this part so if you're not interested in another quick story time. Gosh now I feel like Girl Online! lolz

Like Penny in the book I found an outlet where I can be my honest myself  and express myself even if it took me a while to find the right one.

In case most of you guys don't know, I used to make 'beauty tube' and have a beauty blog which I've stop doing and switch to book blogging as I went trough a point where I got a bit too many negative comments especially on tutorials which I've taken down most of them.

The hates were on my appearance which made me really insecure and I went trough a phrase where I had low confidents in myself could not look myself in the mirror. Even though most of my subscribers and followers were very supportive and nice, the negative trolls outnumber them to a point I had to pull the plug and stop.

I've past that phrase and moved on with life, filling in the hole of beauty blogging with book blogging. Though I do miss blogging about my new favourite eye shadow or lipstick, for the better I'm glad that I stop 'beauty tube' and found the book blogging world.

Book blogging has been my new happy place .

I did a month ago encountered a 'hate troll' on my booktube channel who did nothing but put rude negative comments and suddenly become nice when I 'changed a bit' of my look (oh the power of Benefit Cosmetic's Brow bar and personal grooming... didn't think it was that mighty powerful lolz ), I blocked the idiot and is one viewer I'm glad I have less.

shake it off guys :P

So yah a quick shout out to all of you awesome peeps who made book blogging freaking enjoyable for me and something that I can be proud of! :D

 

Book Review: Where the Road Takes Me by Jay McLean

Goodreads Description:

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead

 

Title: Where the Road Takes Me
Author: Jay McLean
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Format: E-book
Pages: 323 pages
Publisher: Skyscape
Source: ARC was received in exchanged for an honest review from NetGalley

Where The Road Takes Me is a New Adult romance with Young Adult characters following Chloe and Blake who randomly meet when Blake was on his jog.

Chloe loss both her mum and aunt to breast cancer when she was very young and is afraid her families medical history will effect her. Cause of this she does not allow herself to be attach to anyone including her foster family and has no plans for the future except "The Road".

Blake is in a cross between choosing to follow his passion for Basketball and accepting a scholarship to Duke or following his father's path of getting enlisted into the army.

It took more than 30% for me to connect with the story but once the plot picks up I wiz trough this. Though the story was a but chopy it was honest and realistic about the whole What's next after High School life. Both Chloe and Blake are uncertainty about their future but they both opened up and choose their path with the help of each other and their family.

The romance was instalove and I was not a fan of it at first, however the more I read about Blake and Chloe's relationship the more I want to cheer for them as their relationship was sweet and heart-warming but also an emotional rollercoaster!

Chloe took a while for me to warm up to as she was selfish to push away everyone she loves just because she does not want her condition to affect them. She needed a bit of push to get her to be strong and brave for the future. Tough and sassy, though she came out as selfish, she's actually very caring and does not want to hurt the ones she loves like how she was hurt.

Blake was charming, funny and caring from the start. I also love how he was positive and works hard to make his and Chloe relationship work.

The book is heavy on the family elements which I love. I love reading the interaction with Chloe's foster family as well as Blake's mum. They are very supportive of the couple and were always there when they needed help.

Also Blake's best friend Josh was awesome to read about! I want a book (or novella) for Josh as I want to know more about his character!

The 'Red Letter Day' metaphor was well used and I actually learned some good stuff about it.

I only have a bit of mix feelings about one thing that is the whole 'realistic money issue'. Maybe its because I'm a money snob in reality but the way that issue was handled made me cringe. I meant I understand Blake's family is well off that his mum is sufficient to fund their whole road trip and I get it that his mum wanted to be pro active and 'upgrade' Chloe's car but the way it was handled was like money grows on trees!

This is a NA romance so expect profanities and steam.

Other than that I did like the story especially the family and road trip element. The ending was sweet, heart-warming and emotional that pulled my heart strings!

I heard so many great things about Jay McLean and I finally got a chance to read her book! I'm definitely checking out her More than this series which is her other series.

Check her out if you are a fan of Colleen Hoover and New Adult Romance!

Also Aussie readers check her out as she's an Aussie author!

 

Book Review: Tall Dark and Distant (Smitten) by Julie Fison

Goodreads Description: 

Full of love, romance and a whole heap of flirty fun, Smitten is a sexy new series. It will make you weak at the knees.

When Georgia meets Nik on her summer holiday, she’s sure he’s too good to be true. He’s gorgeous, with god-like abs and an adorable English accent. Then she discovers that he’s actually a member of an obscenely wealthy Russian family – and he wants to get to know her better. Nik catapults Georgia into a world of private yachts, fast cars and expensive jewellery. Having a billionaire for a boyfriend certainly comes with benefits … but it also comes with a price. How long will it take before life in the fast lane spins out of control?

 

 

Title: Tall Dark and Distant

Author: Julie Fison

Genre: Contemporary, YA, NA, Romance, Chick Lit, Mature YA

Format: Paperback

Pages: 236 page

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont

Source: Purchased from Booktopia

Yay another smitten romance! Great fluffy romance to start my summer holidays! I breezed trough this and was just what I needed to recover from uni exams.

The book follows Georgia on vacation with her family in Noosa when she meets Nik on her morning run. The two turn from friends and running buddies to something more.

I have a love hate relationship with the character Georgia. On one hand I like her down to earth, smart and awkward personality though on the other hand she tend to make some really stupid and cringe worthy mistakes. As for Nik, I love the guy instantly! Swoon worthy, slightly mysterious, cheeky and charming. Nik comes from a wealthy family and has a dark past that I didn't expected.

The side characters were an okay cast but the one that stood out to me the most is Alice, Georgia's younger sister. Gosh that kid a piece of work as I've never hated a character this much till I read about Alice. Long story short, Alice is freaking annoying and gets kinda bratty when she does not get what she wants especially from Georgia and gets her revenge on her sister even if it means almost ruining Georgia and Nik's relationship.

I like Georgia and Nik's relationship! It was not exactly instalove but the romance was a good fast pace. This book also explores more on the emotional side of romance and boy was there some emotional roller coaster in this book.

The plot of the book was interesting and the plot twist was unexpected. Its a good 'regular girl falls for mysterious rich guy' sorta romance. Though the book started out really good but I find the ending of the book kinda lacking.

Overall its a sweet summer/vacation contemporary romance that will make you swoon, smile and giggle and you can read while relaxing around.

Book Review: Pandora Jones: Admission (Pandora Jones #1) by Barry Jonsberg

Goodreads Description:

Pandora Jones wakes in an infirmary - her body weak, her memory providing only flashes of horrific scenes of death. She soon discovers that her family has succumbed to a plague pandemic which almost wiped out humanity. Pan is one of the survivors who have been admitted to The School - a quarantined, heavily guarded survival-skills facility - to recover their strength, hone their skills and prepare for whatever comes next. Pandora's skill is intuition, but how useful will it be outside the secure walls of The School? And what if it leads her to question where the truth lies...

Plague. Pandemic. Intuition. Secrets. Truth. Courage. Action. Survival.

 

Title: Pandora Jones: Admission
Author: Barry Jonsberg
Genre: Sci-Fi, survival, paranormal, apocalyptic, YA, 
Format: Paperback
Pages:312 pages
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Source: Purchased from Big W

The moment I opened the book and saw 'It took slightly under eight hours for Melbourne to die.' I knew i had to read this!

Filled with suspense, mystery, action and a hint of paranormal, Pandora Jones: Admission was a great series starter! 

The book starts with Pandora waking up in an infirmary with bits and pieces of her past including the last day of her life. Confuse and curious, Pandora finds herself in 'The School' where surviving youths are sent after humanity including her family succumbed to a plague. There they are cut out from the outside world and are trained 'For the future of humanity' physically with combat and mentally with regular school classes. She is placed in a group where each student have a special ability like combat, sports, technology, etc. For Pandora she has a six-sense institution of locating lost objects and developed her ability trough the book. The longer she stays in 'The School' the more she question about the odd and off things about the place.

Pandora was a likeable character. She reminds me a bit of Tris from Divergent, an averaged girl throned into a boot camp and Thomas from the The Maze Runner who is curious, intelligent and compassionate.

Her 'love interest' and partner in crime Nate, an American teen who's ability is running is my favorite character! Brave, a natural leader and like Pandora is compassionate and curious about the motive of the school. Is it mean to say that I feel like he is a 'rejected' Maze Runner Character?!?! (joke lol). I pictured him as Newt from The Maze Runner as he is the peace keeper of the group and a bit of Minho with his great leadership attitude. 

I was not a fan of Pandora falling head over heals with Nate at first sight. Heck i was not a fan of her initial inner thoughts of Nate and to be honest i thought it was unnecessary. Other than that I love their friendship.

The side Characters include Wie-Lin, Sanjeet, Cara, Sam and Karl were great however i have mix feelings about the character Jen as she can be a freaking B!tch at times and have opposite views with Pandora which stir up some conflict between the two of them. However between her idea and action verse Pandora's ideas and actions I will have to go with Jen as it makes more sense locally. 

Apart from that, I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters where they come from all places like New Zealand to Hong Kong as well as a mix of races.

I had mixed feelings on the third POV writing style and felt it was flat. I also was not a fan of Pandora's inner thought. I felt like it will have been better from first POV so that we will know what is going in Pandora's head and not trough her inner thoughts.

I like the concept of the story. Though first one third of the story was a bit slow and very confusing (which should be a good thing as I was just as lost and confuse as Pandora was) along with alot of world building. After that he plot picks up and we get into the fast pace, nerve wrecking action sequence. There are some eye opening themes like morality vs survival along with trust issues on the authorities of the school and their motive for Pandora and her friends.

The ending of the book... whyyyyyy ?!?! nooooo?!?! whyyyyyy?!?! Dang you plot holes!!! Why!

It was a freaking provoking and ended with a cliff hanger with a good set up for the sequel!

Other than that I this as a great first book in the series! I love the concept of the story and have so many conspiracy theories running trough my head when I was done with the book!

I highly recommend if  you are a fan of  Divergent, The Hunger Games and especially The Maze Runner, as there are some elements from those series but the book has its own unique spin! Also for video game lovers out there check this out if you are a fan of the survival Apocalypse of  The Last of Us and its Prequel (of Ellie sent to the boarding school) and the Paranormal elements from Beyond Two Souls you need to check this out! 

Its great to see Aussie lit diverging from the Contemporary into the dystopian, paranormal genre.

I am currently reading the sequel Pandora Jones: Deception so expect a review on that soon!

 What was your last favorite Aussie Lit?

Incredible Adventure's of Cinnamon Girl by Mellisa Keil! I devoured that book xD

Book Review : The Bet by Kimberly Joy Villanueva

Goodreads Description: 

Drake Swift has never lost a bet with his best friend - until now. His punishment? Make a girl in school fall for him and then break up with her just as shes fallen for him. But who would be oblivious enough to fall for that? Her.

Enter Sophia Taylor - quiet, brainy, and unassuming - the perfect pawn for their game. And for Drake, that's all it is - a game. But is it? Drake finds that Sophia is quite more than he bargained for. Perhaps he has her figured out all wrong. The real question is, will Drake win the bet, or will Sophia win him over instead?

 Title: The Bet
Author: Kimberly Joy Villanueva (iluvbooks on wattpad)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Chick Lit,
Format: Paper Back

Pages: 276
Source: Gifted from friend who got if from the Philippines.

Read the original version on Wattpad

Confession : i found this story in 2011 when i first joined wattpad and randomly typed in 'Taylor Swift fanfic' and this was the top story so yah... Random...

I read the original version back when the author was posting it chapter by chapter on wattpad so this book has a special place in my heart as it not only was it cool that I followed the development of this book but also this was the first Wattpad book I read and loved!

Its been 2 years since i read the original and though I like the publish version
I preferred the original version more.

 There were a handful of typos and several changes from the original including one major story change which i didn't like and threw me off the story for a bit.

I felt like the last one-third of the book was too rushed which made the book even more disappointing for me. Maybe i would have enjoyed the story more if i didn't already read the original but I still like the idea of the story and the characters. 


Drake and Sophia were both likeable but i felt like there could be more development for their characters even though with the bet they both got to know each other more and were really sweet and cute. They also changed each other for the better. Pia stepped out of her shell more while Drake started having a drive or a purpose for the next chapter in his life.


What i don't get is how Drake twin sister is Pia's best friend yet they have never meet prior to The Bet. 

Overall its a cute story that started with a 'simple bet' but developed into something more making 'this love sweeter than fiction'.

Anyone who is a fan of Taylor Swift definitely needs to give the story a go as this indirectly is a Taylor Swift fanfiction!
 
Music lovers will appreciate the playlist the author added at the end of the book as you'll definitely find some awesome songs,some familiar and some new. My fav is Passenger Seat by Stephen Speaks.
 

If you like Wattpad romances you will definitely like this! There are many more Wattpad books published in the Philippines so I might one day pick up more of them as I do have plans to visit there... someday... ^^
 

Also the book has recently been pick up for a movie in the Philippines! I can't wait to see how its gonna look like and I might make a book to movie post on some of the book to movie adaptation I am looking forward to. 

Check out the Author on her Wattpad Page ilurvbooks for more her book including the squeal/spin-off of 'The Bet' Colliding of Fate.

What's your favorite Taylor Swift song?

Mine is Superman, 22 and Sweeter Than Fiction

Book Review : Lust and Found (Smitten) by Julie Fison

Goodreads Description:

Cambodia is the last place in the world Sienna wants to visit. She likes five- star hotels and exercising her credit card in air-conditioned malls – not flea- ridden hostels and trekking through the jungle.

But when her brother Eddie starts sending strange messages from Cambodia, Sienna’s mum convinces her to go check on him. Thankfully, her boyfriend agrees to go along.

When they arrive, they discover that Eddie has disappeared. Sienna just wants to find him and get the hell out of there. Everything in Cambodia
is getting to her – the language barrier, the unrelenting humidity, the mosquitos. But mostly it’s Eddie’s maddeningly hot French friend, Guillaume, who couldn’t be more unhelpful if he tried..

 

Title: Lust and Found (Smitten)

Author: Julie Fison
Genre: Contemporary, YA, NA, Romance, Chick Lit, Mature YA
Pages: 234 pages
Source: Purchased at Dymocks 

So I mentioned in my review for Love Is The New Black by Chrissie Keighery that the Smitten Romance series is one of my favorite romance series and owe most of the books in the series.

I was recently at Dymocks and saw more Smitten books and decided to pick one that the synopsis caught my attention more.

The main reason why I picked this up was cause it's set in Cambodia and not many books I've read is set in Asia so I thought why not? It will be fun to read a book set in a sorta a familiar setting ( I'm from Asia btw :P)

Reading trough the story though I love the author's description of Cambodia. In fact she is spot on on describing the setting and atmosphere especially the humidity and trust me considering I was born and bred in Asia that is one thing I never appriciate... the weather (prefer Melb cooling Autumn/winter weather... sorry to the humidity in Asia??? lol)

 The characters were probably my least favorite of the book. While Sienna started out as a self-centered, dependent, spoil-brat, gold-digger (yes I said it!) that seriously made me cringe, she eventually learned to be independent, think for herself, care for others,and most importantly change for the better.

As for Daniel, the more I read about him the more I cringe as first off he is 10 years older than Sienna. I am okay with age but his characteristic just made me cringe more and more I read about him (eventually I almost chuck the book across the room). He does online poker for a living. He comes out as a very manipulative and self centered boyfriend and what I hated about him the most is the way he treats Sienna! Literally the more he talks and say 'she's mine', 'she belong to me' the more I just want to strangle the guy and say 'she is not an object! she is a person! and stop doubting her! etc'. Seriously that's no way to treat a girl/lady! I seriously think he's better off with a puppy than a girlfriend!
(okay rant over! in otherwords i hate his character with passion! lol)

Guillaume... well he started off as an okay character with a hint of mystery in him. Not the most swoon worthy guy but as you get to know more and more about him you can't help but smile at his silliness and cuteness. 

This book is fun and adventurous! Reading it reminds me a bit of home! Also the Angkor Wat is one of the few places I hope to visit in the next few years. While I was not a big of a fan of the cast of characters in the book, as the story developed I enjoyed development of  Sienna and Guillaume characters. Also the plot twist I didn't see coming till that very second the bomb drops! The way they found Sienna's brother Eddie was a mixture of 'THAT MAKES SENSE!" and "WTH OMGASDFJKL; NO WAY" and "Wait what?! O.o?!".
 

While Sianna's journey trough Cambodia was rough and the book have its highs and lows, the pacing is never dull and the ending is happy and satisfying. 

Anyway I like the book. A nice exotic adventure romance novel that I definitely recommend. In fact you can never go wrong with a Smitten Romance novel. Pick this up if you want to find a book set in Asia, a light quick read that you can definitely brows trough on your holidays with cute, funny and flirty romance that will make you happy.

I'll be reviewing more of the other Smitten Romance books that I so far owe in the next couple of weeks so subscribe for more reviews and stay tune!

 

 

Book Review : A French Girl in New York (The French Girl series #1) by Anna Adams

Goodreads Description:

Maude Laurent is a spirited sixteen-year-old orphan who grew up in a small, provincial town in the north of France with a passion for piano and a beautiful voice. One day in Paris, she is discovered by an American music producer who takes her to New York to live with him and his close-knit family while producing her first album, with help from teen pop star, Matt. Maude will dive into a new fascinating world discovering New York City, music, family, love and the truth about her past.

Title: A French Girl in New York (The French Girl series #1)
Author: Anna Adams
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance, Chick Lit
Format: eBook, Wattpad Book
Pages: -
Source: Read from Wattpad, Free on iBooks.

So I found this randomly on Wattpad which started my addiction to 'The French Girl Series' by Anna Adams. 

Maude, a talented pianist who dreams to be an opera singer lives in rural France with her terrible foster family where they mistreat her, forcing her to work from dusk to dawn like a slave. One day while out on a school excursion in Paris, she stumble upon a cafe where she plays a couple of songs and gets discovered by James Baldwin, music mogul and owner of Soulville Records who gives her a chance to escape France to go to New York to make a record.

I had a couple of issue with the book:

Firstly the narrative was not what I expect since its from first person point of view as I felt like the book would have been better if it was from Maude's POV.

Also the song lyrics... usually in books where the author 'compose' song lyrics are a hit or a miss. This case it is a miss as I found it really cheesy... like overly cheesy...

Maude's character and personality got me hooked from page one! Talented, hard working,Sassy, strong, caring, determine driven and passionate made her a really likeable character. She makes you want to cheer for her to succeed and have a happy ending. Yes like all characters she does some flaws

thanks to her innocent/naive she tend to not make wise decisions at times and sometimes a bit too stubborn for her own good. Her character development in the book is a good setting stone for the idk how many books the author plans to write in the series (she just announced the forth book a few days ago) but seeing her grow personally and professionally is what's gonna make me want to continue reading the series.

Matt. a pop heartthrob who happens to be Maude's song writing mentor is super cocky, witty and most importantly Maude's love interest. While his first meeting with Maude didn't exactly hit off well (literally one of the best moments in the book!), his character grew from the egoistic pop star to a likable, cute, dorky guy that you just can't help but love! 

Ms Tragent, Maude's singing coach is one of those mentors who pushes her to bring out the best in Maude. She reminded me of my piano teacher who was super freaking strict but for a good reason that made me thankful for later. 

 

The Baldwin family who took Maude in with open arms were all amazing! James is a great mentor and 'father figure' for Maude where luck and faith was with him when he discovered Maude. Jasmine who is the same age as Maude but with an opposite personality to her which balance out their friendship. Her confident, enthusiastic personal made her stand out! Also Cynthia, the oldest sister surprise me with her law skills at one point of the book (btw I have a decent background knowledge of law so for me it was a breeze to follow not to mention another favorite part of the book)! I also love the Baldwin's family tradition that incorporate music. 

Overall, the storyline while predicable was a page turner where you want to know what happens to Maude in the end. There were some cliche elements but was nicely balance out with the struggles, love hate relationship between Matt and Maude, the family dynamic with the Baldwin as well as the freaking 'I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING' plot twist really made the book or me!

Also check it out if you are a music lover and is a fan of 'musical' theme books since the story incorporate classical music and pop music well as the fact that the main character plays the piano which for me motivated me to play the piano more when I was reading this.

  

 A great addictive read that got me hooked onto my ipad/iphone when reading it! A Modern Cinderella retelling with its own unique spin. Great starter to a series! Best part? Its free on iTunes,Amazon, Smaswords and Wattpad so if you want to test out the series definitely pick this up!

Check out the author on her blog Strolling in Storyland for more info in The French Girl series.